The Falling Powdered Snow
by SlowQuotesQuill
Summary: Nonmagical!AU. In a city where snow perpetually falls, a brother wishes for his sister to get well again, while unaware that all around him, people with different stories are also trying to find ways to survive this never-ending winter. Tatsuya/Miyuki/Masaki, Leo/Erika, Mikihiko/Mizuki, Katsuto/Mayumi, Honoka/Shizuku. [Current Arc: Crimson Prince Chapter]
1. Siblings Chapter (I)

**The Falling Powdered Snow**

* * *

_I wish the falling powdered snow would land and hide me  
Staring at your back as you leave, I suppress my tears  
The snow that falls piles up, swallowing the world and my love  
Until the day the pain in my heart is gone  
I'll melt into white_

—**Fure Fure Koyuki**, UtaP ft. Kagamine Len

* * *

**[Siblings Chapter** (I)**]**  
_Deep Snow_

* * *

"Onii-sama…?"

He could feel the light beyond his eyelids, and the soft touch of a delicate hand as it brushed his hair away from his closed eyes.

"Such a peaceful sleep…"

He humored her for a while as she thought that he was still sleeping, her hand moving in slow, precise strokes that smoothened down his hair. Knowing that his little sister preferred to take care of him when necessary (not that the chance presented itself that often), Shiba Tatsuya just let his whole body relax under her touch.

However, even though his eyes were closed still, he could not drown out the faint smell of antiseptic in the air, the little sounds outside on the hall as people rushed to their destinations, the creaking of rusty wheelchairs as patients were moved from their rooms on occasion.

Normally, Tatsuya was glad of his great observational skills, as it came handy with his line of work, but now that it was presenting him with details that he'd rather not come into terms with for the meantime, he wished that it came with an off switch.

With the thought that he still had to go to work nagging at the back of his mind, Tatsuya's eyelids slid open to reveal mild blue eyes.

"Onii-sama…!" His little sister's beautiful eyes, the color of sapphires, widened a bit at the sudden movement, and her hand hesitated in the act of stroking his hair. "G-Good morning…"

"Good morning, Miyuki."

Shiba Miyuki sat up on her bed a little straighter as she watched her brother rise slowly from his sleeping place on her bedside, the legs of the chair underneath him scraping across the cold floor tiles.

It was uncanny how the resemblance between them stopped at the color of their eyes and hair, with Tatsuya having a natural, healthy tan all over, and Miyuki very pale, made even so by the white hospital gown that she wore. Tatsuya took more after their father, with his tall, sturdy build and serious almond eyes, while Miyuki's large eyes and slender figure were inherited from their mother.

Tatsuya would have liked to say that Miyuki was that white naturally, but he knew that even with her fair complexion before the sickness, Miyuki's present pallor was unnatural.

However, he was thankful that her eyes and abundant hair remained as lovely as they had always been as she looked at him with a soft, loving gaze. He knew how insecure she had been about her appearance ever since the beginning of the decline of her color and the slow weakening of her limbs.

"Onii-sama, you have work today, right?"

"Yes. I'm going home to change into my uniform." Tatsuya scowled a bit as Miyuki smiled bravely on her bed, and can't help but reach out and give her head a quick pat. "The nurse will be here soon with your breakfast. I would stay and wait until you have finished eating, but…"

"Onii-sama mustn't worry about me." Miyuki's eyes never wavered from Tatsuya's face. "Rather, please go and do your best for today as well."

Tatsuya chuckled as he saw Miyuki's earnest expression. "I guess I cannot refuse such a serious request from my adorable little sister." He reached over and kissed a lightly blushing Miyuki on the forehead before pulling away to slip his coat on. "I guess it can't be helped. And you might be feeling better today if you could turn red like that."

"Onii-sama, you meanie."—However, Miyuki's lips were still curved in her bright smile. "Please take care and wear your scarf. The weather report has predicted a possible snowfall."

"You as well. Ask the nurse to bring you more blankets if necessary." Tatsuya managed a slight smile and opened the door. "I'll be back later, okay?"

"I'll be waiting for you, Onii-sama!"

Miyuki nodded and waved enthusiastically as Tatsuya disappeared, and when the heavy footfalls of Tatsuya's boots had already faded into the many other footsteps outside beyond the door, she let her hand fall with a tired sigh.

"Onii-sama…"

* * *

"Oh, Tatsuya-kun. Good morning."

"Morning, Lieutenant."

"As usual, your way of greeting me is kind of bland."

Assistant Police Inspector Fujibayashi Kyoko, more commonly referred to as Lieutenant Fujibayashi, smiled upon seeing the impassive young man walk in the police station, her eyes darting to his face and sighing as he stared back with his trademark icy expression.

"How is Miyuki-chan, by the way?"

"She seems better than the past few days." Tatsuya did not move unnecessarily, instead maintaining his rigid posture. His dark blue uniform was as immaculate as always, and did not show signs that he had rushed in any way to get to work. "I just came from the hospital."

"Oh, right. Yesterday was your day-off, after all." Fujibayashi shrugged. "Well, good to hear that. Miyuki is a good girl. She deserves to get better soon."

She watched as Tatsuya opened his mouth, characteristically prompt and to the point.

"Anyway, Lieutenant, is Captain Kazama already in?"

"Oh, is today the new assignment?" Fujibayashi tilted her head and feigned confusion.

"Lieutenant, you should be the one with a clear grasp on these things…"

"Nah, I was just joking." Fujibayashi smiled. "You just seem more uptight today… As if you weren't serious enough. Anyway, Captain Kazama is in his office. He was waiting for you before going to meet with the mayor, actually."

"I see." Tatsuya inclined his head with silent thanks, while Fujibayashi returned it with a light nod.

"Tatsuya." Police Inspector Kazama Harunobu, a severe-looking man in his forties, looked up with a smile that looked out of place in this circumstance, as a superior to a junior, but Tatsuya refrained from comment and instead noticed the slim figure on the chair before the Captain's desk.

"Anyway, this will be your new partner, Chiba Erika-kun."

"I see." Tatsuya surveyed with a cursory eye the slender arms, fiery hair, and mischievous expression of the young lady before him, and then frowned. "Chiba? As in…"

"Yep, I'm that Chiba Toshikazu's younger sister." Erika did not seem to find the matter of her family relations an awkward topic. "However, he's stationed in Yokohama now."

"Ah, yes. One of the Lieutenant's subordinates." Tatsuya nodded. "I have had the pleasure of meeting him before his transfer to Yokohama. I take it that he is well?"

"Yeah. He does miss the Lieutenant now and then, though." The tinge of mischief in Erika's eyes deepened further.

Tatsuya decided to let her comment hang in the air, and instead smiled slightly. His icy expression, which could freeze criminals on sight, did not seem to work on Erika.

Tatsuya finally thought that yes, she _may_ be cut out for this sort of work.

Kazama decided to cut in, much to his relief.

"Chiba-kun, this is Shiba Tatsuya. He's going to help you familiarize yourself with that part of Tokyo you'll be patrolling today."

Erika grinned, and held out a hand for Tatsuya to shake. "Okay. Then, I place myself in your care for today, Shiba-senpai."

Tatsuya looked vaguely uncomfortable. "As we're of the same age according to your file, calling me 'senpai' is a bit…"

"Really? So, you're just…"

"Twenty-four, last I checked." Tatsuya didn't mean to sound lightly sarcastic, but he couldn't help but inflict the tone on this enthusiastic young lady. "Please, call me Tatsuya."

"Okay. Tatsuya-kun then. That all right?"

When Tatsuya nodded, Erika's grin went back on full force.

"Shall we go now, Captain?" Tatsuya said, focusing his attention back to Kazama. "You still have an appointment after this with the mayor, right?"

* * *

"You know, it's quite tiring to be the little sister to an overachiever like my Naotsugu-nii-sama."

The two of them, Tatsuya and Erika, stood idly on the snowy sidewalk by a convenience store as they finished their quick lunch. Tatsuya found it surprising that Erika had stayed alert all throughout the process of going all over their territory, and was seriously considering disregarding his first impression of her as a kind of ballast to an operation. Erika's quick reflexes and tough personality might just be what he needed the most in a partner, he reflected with a dry smile.

"Hey, what're you smiling for. I'm serious, it's not easy."

Tatsuya quickly shifted back to his usual deadpan expression upon seeing how Erika put her hand on her waist and scowled. "No, I'm sorry. My mind just drifted somewhat at what you said. I have a little sister myself, you see."

"Oh, Tatsuya-kun has?" Erika seemed wholly interested.

"Yes." Tatsuya could have said more, but he deemed it impolite to do so in front of an acquaintance of one day like Erika. The latter, however, seemed quite intrigued.

"Is she cute?"

Tatsuya smiled a bit. "Rather than cute, I would say she's more of a beauty."

"O~h!" Erika laughed upon detecting the trace of affection in the normally constrained voice of her partner. "Might you, perhaps, be something of a sis-con?"

Tatsuya merely chuckled.

"Say what you will, but Miyuki really is a beauty."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, if Tatsuya-kun, who is so usually dull, can say that a person is a 'beauty', then, I shall take those words at face-value."

Tatsuya was rather uncertain at what to say upon hearing her call him dull, so he just kept his mouth shut.

"Anyway, so Tatsuya-kun has a sister, huh…" Erika looked up. "You know, I have heard from Captain Kazama how you were the youngest police officer in the Kanto area to have achieved such a high record of suppressing criminal activity. Apparently, your name is already something like an urban legend in these parts." She tilted her head. "Isn't Miyuki-chan bothered by your achievements?"

Tatsuya couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle. "Miyuki might perhaps be more brilliant than I am, and she understands what I do, so there's no room for rivalry." Tatsuya seemed unruffled at the praise that Kazama had seemed to pile upon him behind his back. "Moreover, if my reputation serves to instill fear into the hearts of those who are up to no good, then it's of no concern to me. Rather, wouldn't it help them hesitate before doing something against the law."

"Ruling by fear, huh?" Erika pondered about this for a moment, and then looked up with a sly grin. "So I guess Tatsuya-kun is really an evil character rather than a hero?"

Tatsuya returned her grin, in a rare flash of warmth.

"Maybe."

* * *

When they headed back to the station after a lengthy, if uneventful, day, they found Fujibayashi talking to a familiar man. Tatsuya was about to greet the both of them, when Erika opened her mouth first.

"Toshikazu-nii-san?" She sounded as shocked as she looked.

"Oh, Erika." Chiba Toshikazu bore very little resemblance to his pretty little sister, his dark hair and narrow eyes conveying an honest, if slightly naïve, personality. However, the firm shake of the hand that he gave Tatsuya upon noticing him gave insight to the fact that the famed courage of the Chiba family (of whom all were involved some way or the other in criminology) did not run thin in this second son.

"What are you doing here?" After giving Toshikazu a hard thump on the chest, which the elder brother took in stride, she put her hands on her hips and blocked his vision like an angry cat. "Are you slacking off again? Weren't you supposed to be in Yokohama?"

Toshikazu laughed a bit. "I just wanted to see how you were doing on the first day of the job. Naotsugu called me, and well…"

Erika huffed. "Naotsugu-nii-sama is such a…" Catching herself, she glared up at her brother. "And don't give me any of that stuff about wanting to see me, because I know that look."

As Toshikazu looked rather confused, Tatsuya noticed Fujibayashi gesturing at him. Sidling past the arguing brother-and-sister pair, he approached the Lieutenant and was handed a heavy case.

"Study this when you get home," she said in a low voice. "I was hoping that the incidents wouldn't spread to Tokyo, but… this is just in case."

"Ah." Tatsuya eyed the case and took it with hardly a reaction. "It's the 'Yokohama Disturbance' case, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Fujibayashi gestured to Toshikazu. "That's the real reason why he came here today, to give me the particulars."

"But couldn't he have just sent it by e-mail?" Tatsuya asked with a bland teasing tone. "Why come see you personally about a case that might or might not happen here?"

"You _virgin_!" Erika was already accusing Toshikazu, who was beet-red.

Fujibayashi winked and smiled evilly at Tatsuya, who just returned it with his stony gaze. "Oh well. Sometimes it's better to have hard copies after all."

* * *

Tatsuya headed to the hospital directly after work, but not without stopping by a used-book store close to the train station. The girl behind the counter, who was already familiar with him, smiled and greeted him a good afternoon as he entered, which he returned with good grace.

Miyuki often asked him to read books to her, not out of an inability to do so herself, but more of an opportunity to let her brother spoil her. Last week they had just finished a collection of short stories by Chekhov, and now Tatsuya walked among the few bookshelves, as this shop was rather small.

Miyuki's taste in books was rather varied, and as she had not expressed a preference for any author, Tatsuya was quite stumped as he ran his eyes among the numerous spines emblazoned with characters and letters. It was when a small tap on his shoulder startled him when he looked around and saw that he was staring into the bespectacled eyes of the girl running the store.

"Are you having trouble, Tatsuya-san?"

Tatsuya smiled slightly. "Hello again, Mizuki-san. …I was unsure as to what kind of book to bring my sister this time."

They didn't call each other by their first names because they were particularly close or anything—actually, this girl was quite shy around Tatsuya, but ever since Tatsuya had known that her name was Shibata Mizuki, he proposed to just call each other by their first names as to not sound very confusing, instead of calling each other "Shiba-san" this way and "Shibata-san" the other.

As Mizuki was quite interested with this enigmatic young man who always buys books every other week for his sister, she promptly agreed without much question.

This same Shibata Mizuki adjusted her glasses with a shy smile, and fidgeted for a bit before opening her mouth to speak again.

"Would you like me to recommend something, Tatsuya-san?"

Tatsuya nodded mutely and followed Mizuki to a corner where some pocketbooks were stacked, and asked as way of making small talk, "By the way, how did you know that I was troubled?"

"Well, usually you would just choose something quickly and then be done with your shopping in about five minutes flat…" Mizuki blushed, while Tatsuya wondered if he was really that easy to read, or if this girl was just highly perceptive. "I'm sorry if I seemed to be quite the busybody today…"

"I don't mind." Tatsuya received the book that Mizuki had held out, and raised an eyebrow when he realized that it was a collection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. "Hm, interesting choice. Why this book in particular?"

Mizuki smiled while she led the way back to the counter. "You know, Tatsuya-san, it seems to me that your sister would like something more lighthearted to read after Chekhov." She smiled. "And sometimes, girls like stories with simple conclusions, be they good or bad. They make the world seem so much easier to live in."

Tatsuya wordlessly placed the book and the money on the counter, and sighed as she handed it back with his change. "I might never have thought of that. Well, Miyuki is a child at heart still, after all…" He looked up. "Thank you, Mizuki-san."

"You're welcome…" Mizuki replied, flushing a light pink. "And I hope Miyuki-san likes the book."

* * *

As Tatsuya rode the train to the hospital, still muffled in his heavy trench coat, the snow that Miyuki had warned him against began to fall.

They fell like gentle drifting feathers, but as the train picked up speed, they seemed like a huge mass of white flowing along beyond the window. He tightened his hold on the book that he had bought and thought about Miyuki, who was probably still stuck in her bed, counting the minutes until the door to her room opened and let him in.

Miyuki's illness was something that they had never really talked about. Tatsuya remembered the first time the doctor mentioned the name of the sickness, and he still found it difficult to get his tongue around the words, not because they were foreign, but because they served to make it seem as if this was all real. Tatsuya, who had always believed that it is better to receive the bad news first to get it over with, found it funny that he could not take it easy when it came to his sister.

"Guillain–Barré syndrome," the doctor's voice echoed all around his head.

He wasn't an expert on medicine, preferring more to tinker around with computers and weaponry, but when Miyuki tried to stand up one day and fell to the ground instead with a surprised look on her face, Tatsuya studied her case and tried to make sense with what the doctor had told him.

The only thing he understood, in spite of all the claims that he could be a prodigy in any field he so wished to study, was that this condition had ultimately restricted her freedom to move around and become a normal girl like other young women her age.

Brilliant, lovely Miyuki, who had also turned twenty-four this year after Tatsuya, who could have been working at any job that she had so wished, was reduced to a little girl who couldn't even make a trip to the bathroom without having her brother support her.

Tatsuya was a normally unruffled person, but in that short trip to the hospital, which he spent remembering what had caused the both of them to settle in this routine, he reaffirmed the fact that he could feel emotions more keenly when it was Miyuki's happiness that was being threatened.

* * *

"Miyuki?"

Tatsuya dropped his voice as he went in the silent hospital room, thinking that he might disturb Miyuki if the girl was asleep. However, hearing the delighted "Onii-sama!" from the delicate occupant of the bed, he smiled instead and presented her the book that he had bought.

"Oh, Onii-sama shouldn't have bothered," Miyuki cried, but Tatsuya could see the smile that she couldn't keep from showing.

"It's nothing. After all, Miyuki never asks for anything, so this is the least I could do." Tatsuya sat on the chair beside the bed and watched Miyuki as she unwrapped the parcel, glowing upon seeing the title that he had brought. Noticing the basket of fruits on the nightstand that wasn't there this morning, he asked, "Oh, did anyone drop by?"

"Only Honoka and Shizuku, Onii-sama," Miyuki replied, smiling gently at the dawning look on Tatsuya's face.

"Oh, so it's Mitsui-san and Kitayama-san." Tatsuya sat back, remembering the time he last saw Honoka and Shizuku before Miyuki's graduation from college. "I see."

"Honoka recently got promoted in her company, while Shizuku is studying in graduate school." Miyuki placed the book on her lap with a serious expression. "Onii-sama, I wonder why you didn't pursue an engineering program, though? You could have excelled in that perfectly."

Tatsuya shrugged. "I wanted something more… challenging, I would say. After all, it would be just monotonous if I knew everything from the start. Becoming a policeman is something more spontaneous. You cannot control every element in the job."

Miyuki giggled. "So, even Onii-sama thinks that way sometimes."

"Not all problems have a solution that can be worked out with numbers, Miyuki." Tatsuya smiled, and placed his hand over Miyuki's slender wrist. "And this way, I know what to do in case I need to protect you."

"Onii-sama…" Miyuki's blush was almost luminescent in the whiteness of her skin.

If someone had happened to see that scene, he would have remarked that they looked less than siblings and more than lovers.

"Well, there's that." Tatsuya withdrew his hand and picked up the book. "Do you want me to read to you today as well?"

Miyuki's eyes shone like fine gems.

"Of course, Onii-sama!"

Tatsuya smiled, and opened the book. Miyuki closed her eyes and lay back on the bed as her brother's calm voice wove for her a world where bitter reality does not exist.

_If only, this could last forever. _

—That was what the two siblings thought at the same time.

* * *

Next time:

**[Siblings Chapter** (II)**]**  
_Graupel_


	2. Siblings Chapter (II)

**The Falling Powdered Snow**

* * *

_Even if I pass the time in solitude, or am forced to run away,  
A new day will come  
Even if I have no magic, I have to make this wish come true  
I swore to it  
There's still a future I want to see with you._

—**Rising Hope**, LiSA

* * *

**[Siblings Chapter** (II)**]**  
_Graupel_

* * *

At the start of the work week, Miyuki usually begins the day by seeing her beloved brother off to work.

"Onii-sama, you have work today, right?"

"Yes. I'm going home to change into my uniform." Miyuki smiled back when she saw how the crease between Tatsuya's brows deepened, and received a gentle rub of the head. "The nurse will be here soon with your breakfast. I would stay and wait until you have finished eating, but…"

"Onii-sama mustn't worry about me." Miyuki maintained her steady gaze on Tatsuya's features. "Rather, please go and do your best for today as well."

She became more cheerful when Tatsuya replied with a laugh, as her brother has never been the most emotional of creatures.

Sometimes, Miyuki feared that her condition had rendered her useless to her genius of a brother, as being her sole companion and guardian after the demise of their parents, he was obligated to stay at her side, thus rooting him in Tokyo instead of going out and becoming more renowned with his numerous talents.

So when she could at least be the partial cause of an outburst of emotion from him, she felt lighter, as if she could fly out of her bed at any instant.

However, beneath the sheet, her legs remained still, as though frozen.

"I guess I cannot refuse such a serious request from my adorable little sister." He leaned over the bed and kissed Miyuki on the forehead, her face heating up at the innocuous contact. "I guess it can't be helped. And you might be feeling better today if you could turn red like that."

"Onii-sama, you meanie."

He just smiled back, as gentle as Shiba Tatsuya could allow himself to be in front of his sister. (Which was to say, very gentle.)

"Please take care and wear your scarf. The weather report has predicted a possible snowfall."

"You as well. Ask the nurse to bring you more blankets if necessary." Tatsuya managed a slight smile and opened the door. "I'll be back later, okay?"

"I'll be waiting for you, Onii-sama!"

Miyuki nodded and waved as the door slid closed behind her brother, and sighed as total silence reigned once again in the room.

Or no, not _total_ silence. However, the ticking of the clock hung on the wall across her bed was annoying, and Miyuki closed her eyes with a weary expression. "Onii-sama…"

_If only you could be here all day. _

But the selfish thought was instantly squashed and put away at the back of her mind, Miyuki's hands arranging themselves on her lap as she breathed in, out, in, like what the nurse instructed her to do when agitated.

They said that it was dangerous to let negative emotions get the better of her, as her heart and lungs would have to work extra to compensate, and a complication was what they were avoiding for now.

Miyuki decided to reread the book that Tatsuya had left behind, Chekhov's _The Duel and Other Stories_, and let the time pass, only looking up when the nurse finally arrived and set the breakfast tray across her lap with a slight murmur. However, when the nurse had already departed and her breakfast finished, Miyuki let herself sink again in her reading, her eyes moving past line after line without hurry.

She was lost in the world of 19th century Russia.

And then, the noise of the suddenly opening door made her look up in surprise, Chekhov's disillusioned princess momentarily forgotten, as she stared at the intruder who gasped at the doorway, bent down and wheezing at the rush that he had apparently made to go here.

"George—!"

"Excuse me?"

The young man's head shot up, confused at the low and undoubtedly feminine voice that came from the patient in the room, and gaped like an idiot at the scene that greeted his eyes.

"I—wrong room?" He turned his head toward the hall behind him, and then back at Miyuki. "302?"

"This is room 300, actually," Miyuki decided to answer with a slight smile, so that he would not think unnecessary thoughts about her getting offended. "You'll want next door."

The young man flushed to his ears in a color that was almost as crimson as his hair (which Miyuki now noted as having a particularly singular shade of red), and muttered out a strangled-sounding "Sorry!" before bolting out in the same manner as he did when he entered.

The door shut behind him, as loud as a gunshot in the relatively quiet atmosphere of the hospital, and left behind him a silence that was almost more unbearable than the one before his arrival.

Miyuki's gaze lingered for a while on the still door, and then let it drift back on the book that she was holding.

Strangely, the ticking of the clock seemed louder than before.

* * *

"Miyuki!"

When Miyuki finally looked up again, she had found that Mitsui Honoka and Kitayama Shizuku were already peeking by the doorway. Giving them a cheerful greeting, Miyuki waved them in, with Shizuku prompting Honoka to the chair and instead going to the window, watching the snow fall past the window.

"We would have arrived earlier," Honoka was busy chirping as she set a basket of fruits on the nightstand, prompting a happy thank-you from the patient. "But there was an incredible incident on the way to the train station, wasn't there, Shizuku?"

"Mm." Shizuku, in contrast to her bright friend, was content to just watch and remain as silent as possible. However, seeing Miyuki's concerned eyes, she quickly supplied, "I think someone who had a gun just suddenly shot everyone in close proximity, I'm not quite sure…"

Miyuki's gasp made Honoka hold her hands up and assure the girl that they weren't directly involved. "The traffic was very heavy while it was going on. It took us quite a while to reach the station by bus." She lowered her voice significantly, even though they were the only people in the room, and said, "They were saying that the arrival of Saegusa Mayumi was the reason why the matter was resolved and hushed so easily, but everything's still confused…"

"Saegusa Mayumi?" Miyuki scowled a bit as she thought about where she might have heard the name before, and let out an "ah" as she recalled. "As in, the third child of _the_ Saegusa family?"

"Yeah." Honoka sighed. "I would have liked to see her in person, but that wouldn't have been ideal in the circumstances…"

Shizuku sighed. "Honoka, even if there was a celebrity like Saegusa Mayumi in the streets, I don't think that she is the first thing you'll turn your attention to in a situation like that…"

"I know that!" Honoka pouted. "Still…"

Miyuki sighed. "Just… Shizuku, Honoka, just take care of yourselves, okay?"

"Geez, Miyuki," Honoka smiled.

"Honoka…"

"Don't worry about us so much, Miyuki," Shizuku intoned in that serious voice of hers. "Just concentrate on getting well."

Honoka vigorously nodded in agreement, while Miyuki, defeated, smiled and rested back on her pillows.

"What about Tatsuya-san?" Honoka suddenly spoke up with a bold tone, breaking the melancholy that their conversation had brought to the room. Shizuku noticed how her two friends had gone slightly pink at the new topic. "He's also an officer now, right?"

"Well… yes." Miyuki's eyes flicked to give Honoka a sly glance. "Honoka… don't tell me you still have a thing for Onii-sama…?"

Honoka's ears were bright red, while Shizuku was heroically maintaining her poker face on.

"I understand," Miyuki said with a playful laugh, and Honoka was glad that she didn't sound angry—Miyuki was, after all, prone to overreacting over girls that get too close to her brother in the past. "Onii-sama, after all…"

"His genius is astounding, and his quick reactions are almost as if he wasn't human," Shizuku said in a deadpan tone. "I had asked him countless times if he couldn't just quit his job and become a bodyguard to the Kitayama family, but… I guess he cares more about his little sister than about his pay." She smiled a bit, making Miyuki blush pink once more.

"I can't deny that I'm the reason why Onii-sama has to endure such a troublesome job like becoming a police officer, though," Miyuki sighed. "Sometimes, I'm afraid that I am the cause why Onii-sama cannot pursue a job where his strengths really lie…"

"Miyuki," Honoka sounded as if she was chiding a child. "Please don't think that you are a burden to Tatsuya-san in any way. After all, he himself does not think it. It's obvious in how he talks about you to others, you know."

Shizuku nodded. "Miyuki can be such an airhead sometimes."

Miyuki looked as if she was about to protest, when Honoka interjected, "And what's more, Tatsuya-san is not a person who decides over things in such a haphazard manner. I think we can safely say that since he chose this job, he wanted it in the first place, and had weighed all his options wisely before doing so."

"I… you might be right." Miyuki finally let down her defenses in the face of that logic, and let out a shivering breath. "It _is_ Onii-sama after all… I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this…"

Honoka smiled widely, while Shizuku crossed her arms and watched the scene pensively.

"Anyway, what are you two up to now?" Miyuki asked with interest, drawing their minds away from thoughts of the other Shiba. "I've not seen you two for a while. Busy?"

Honoka nodded with a frustrated sigh. "Yup. I've been recently promoted to team leader, but it's kind of a hassle."

"However, the pay raise surely doesn't hurt," Miyuki giggled.

Honoka nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, at least my parents cannot complain. I could pay my rent comfortably now."

"How about Shizuku?" Miyuki asked, turning to the silent girl.

"Still toughing it out in graduate school," was the reply. "However, the paperwork is getting more challenging by the week. I say my professors are from the pits of hell…"

"_Shizuku!"_ Miyuki and Honoka both chided her, laughing.

* * *

"Miyuki?"

"Onii-sama!"

Miyuki looked up to see Tatsuya come in and place a parcel wrapped in brown paper on her lap, making her cry, "Oh, Onii-sama shouldn't have bothered." However, Tatsuya must have noticed her lips twitching with the effort to keep her happiness from showing too openly on her face.

"It's nothing. After all, Miyuki never asks for anything, so this is the least I could do… Oh, did anyone drop by?"

Miyuki glanced up from the task of tearing at the brown paper to see Tatsuya staring curiously at the basket that the pair had left behind. Thinking about the young man who had burst in rather unceremoniously earlier, she decided that mentioning him to Tatsuya would be rather unnecessary.

"Only Honoka and Shizuku, Onii-sama."

A nostalgic smile blossomed on his lips. "Oh, so it's Mitsui-san and Kitayama-san. I see."

"Honoka recently got promoted in her company, while Shizuku is studying in graduate school." Miyuki placed the book on her lap with a serious expression. "Onii-sama, I wonder why you didn't pursue an engineering program, though? You could have excelled in that perfectly."

"I wanted something more… challenging, I would say. After all, it would be just monotonous if I knew everything from the start. Becoming a policeman is something more spontaneous. You cannot control every element in the job."

Miyuki giggled, and said what she had been thinking out loud. "So, even Onii-sama thinks that way sometimes."

"Not all problems have a solution that can be worked out with numbers, Miyuki." Tatsuya placed his hand around Miyuki's wrist, the warm contact making her blush. "And this way, I know what to do in case I need to protect you."

"Onii-sama…" Her face was warm. _Too_ warm. Miyuki hoped Tatsuya wasn't laughing inwardly at her expression, but that was too much to ask for.

"Well, there's that. Do you want me to read to you today as well?"

"Of course, Onii-sama!"

Tatsuya smiled, and opened the book. Miyuki closed her eyes and lay back on the bed as her brother's calm voice wove for her a world where bitter reality does not exist.

And she thought,_ If only, this could last forever._

* * *

"Good morning, Miyuki."

"Onii-sama…" Miyuki smiled as Tatsuya woke her up one morning with a light kiss on the forehead, her white hands automatically coming up to rest on her brother's face. "Good morning to you as well."

"Miyuki's birthday will be in a few weeks from now," Tatsuya remarked casually as he straightened up, his blue eyes exhibiting rare warmth as Miyuki beamed. "Do you want anything?"

"Onii-sama's presence during my birthday will be enough for me," Miyuki said brightly. Tatsuya sighed.

"There we go again, my selfless little sister." Tatsuya held up a finger. "I _will_ be here, but ask anything else of me. Otherwise, I'll think that you feel I am not taking care of you enough."

"But Onii-sama always spoils me," Miyuki laughed playfully. "I cannot possibly…"

"_Miyuki_."

"Alright, then, Onii-sama." Miyuki's smile was a trifle resigned. "I'll tell you when I have decided."

"That's a promise." Tatsuya glanced at his watch, and then scowled lightly. "Well, I have to go to work now. Just…"

" 'Ask the nurse to bring you more blankets if necessary.' " Miyuki imitated Tatsuya's serious tone with a face that made him chuckle. "I know, Onii-sama. Please take care."

Tatsuya nodded, and, as if he couldn't resist, pressed another kiss on his blushing sister's forehead. "I'll be back before evening."

"I'll be waiting, Onii-sama."

* * *

Miyuki hadn't been expecting visitors today, so when the door slid open just minutes after the nurse's last afternoon visit, she looked up with surprise—and saw equally stunned green eyes stare back at her.

"…You again?" she breathed out.

The redheaded young man from two days ago froze in his place, like a person who was caught in the act of capturing a stray cat. His hands stayed on the door, as if afraid that Miyuki might disappear when he moved one inch away from his place.

"Did… did you mistake the room number again, or…?" Miyuki couldn't fathom what was swimming in those crystalline eyes.

"I… no," he finally said with a tone that suggested that he was trying to sound nonchalant, but not quite succeeding. "Actually…"

Miyuki stared at him for a while, and as if coming to a conclusion herself, smiled and said, "Well… do come in."

"Thank you—what?" The young man looked up at her words with an astounded expression, making Miyuki giggle in spite of herself.

_This guy is quite the opposite of Onii-sama… He is too easily flustered. _

"Please." Miyuki sobered down and spoke in a perfectly normal tone to encourage him.

"Okay… Thank you." Seemingly recovering from his shock, he bowed slightly and closed the door behind him.

"Well, how may I help you this time?" Miyuki asked when he had settled down.

"No, I just… I'm visiting _you_ today." He seemed rather embarrassed. "Actually, I… I noticed your name yesterday beside the door after I went away, and I then realized that I have known you from somewhere. You're… Shiba Miyuki-san, right? The valedictorian for our batch from university?"

"Do I know you?" Miyuki frowned, trying to search her memories for this guy. However, she cannot come up with anything.

"Perhaps not, since we haven't really met in person, but I also saw you in one of the tennis matches during the intercollegiate sports festival the year before our graduation, and then the next time I saw you was already at your valedictory at the ceremony." He smiled a bit. "You were amazing. I just remembered your name when I saw the plate, but I didn't want to disturb you further, so…"

"So you were in my batch then?"

"Yeah, same college but different program. I was taking up International Studies then."

"I see…" Miyuki smiled. "For you to remember me after such a long time, I'm rather flattered."

"It's rather hard to not remember you, really. Professor Miyabi always speaks of you in high regard. —I took his Japanese Literature classes, see."

"Oh, Professor Miyabi?" Miyuki nodded enthusiastically. "So you were a student of his as well, I see…"

"He said you were the first student he ever taught who could defend a thesis about the _Genji Monogatari_'s elaborate language structure in a very eloquent manner."

"He likes to blow things up out of proportion…" Miyuki mumbled, blushing. "Er, what's your name, um…?"

"Oh, sorry! Ichijou." He seemed a bit red, himself, which amused Miyuki quite a bit. "Ichijou Masaki."

"Ichijou…?" Miyuki raised an eyebrow. "Not the same Ichijou Masaki who led the IS program during graduation? Now that I think about it…"

She remembered the proud figure that headed the IS class, a dark graduation cap over his curly auburn hair, and now understood why the shade seemed rather distinct.

Masaki smiled crookedly and shrugged. "Well, yeah…"

"Now that I think about it, what were you doing here yesterday?" Miyuki asked lightly, musing a second too late that she might have started a rather sensitive topic.

"Visiting a friend," Masaki said casually. "There was a shooting incident yesterday in the shopping district. He got involved, a bit…"

"Oh. I've heard of that. My friends were there when it happened as well, although thankfully they didn't get involved directly."

Silently, Miyuki and Masaki both mulled over the frightening possibilities of coincidences.

"If you wouldn't mind, Shiba-san," Masaki said tentatively, "What about you?"

"Oh… um…"

Seeing the hesitation in Miyuki's eyes, Masaki held up his hands.

"No, I shouldn't have asked so insensitively… Sorry."

"It's fine." Miyuki shook her head. "I just have no idea how best to answer your question… The name of my condition is insubstantial, but… well…"

"Please don't force yourself." Masaki let out a shivering breath and looked around. "But is there no one looking after you aside from the nurses…? It must be a bit lonesome…"

"Oh, there is my Onii-sama," Miyuki said with a fond tone, and Masaki perked up at the change in her countenance. "He usually keeps me company and takes care of me."

"So where…?"

"At work," Miyuki replied with a sigh. "However, he's usually back here before sundown."

"Sundown, huh…" Masaki scratched his chin with a thoughtful face. "If that's the case, would you mind if I stay here for a while?"

"I wouldn't, but… what about your friend?"

Masaki's smile was uncertain. "He'll be fine, George… My little sister Akane is with him."

"I see." Miyuki wondered about the way Masaki's eye twitched nervously, but decided not to pry into that matter for now. Leaning forward, she asked interestedly, "So Ichijou-san has a sibling as well…?"

"I have two sisters, actually, both younger than me. Akane and Ruri." Masaki's expression softened a bit. "Akane is rather straightforward, while Ruri…"

* * *

The soft red light coming from the sun sinking down into the horizon illuminated Miyuki's sleeping face as she slumbered uneasily, her hand tight upon her new book. Masaki had went away some hours ago, muttering about how he had to take Akane home now, and Miyuki had smiled and watched him bow himself out the door.

Miyuki's eyes fluttered a bit at the sound of the door opening, and when the red light against her lids had deepened into a light darkness, she knew that her brother, for some reason, was late today.

A soft kiss on her brow and a low, _"I'm back, Miyuki,"_ finally prompted her to open her eyes and stare reproachfully at Tatsuya. "Onii-sama, you liar. It's late."

"Sorry. An emergency came up, so…"

"What kind of emergency?"

"The kind that Miyuki shouldn't need to hear about." Tatsuya spoke in a lightly teasing tone, but Miyuki could see that he was worried about disturbing her if he did talk about it. Knowing how a policeman's job often involved danger, she dutifully kept silent and watched Tatsuya lay his coat over the back of his chair and fall on it with a tired sigh.

However, that didn't keep her from worrying about him.

"Onii-sama, you should sleep for a bit for now."

"Miyuki… I'm fine."

"Onii-sama, I insist." Miyuki scowled. "Just rest. You've had a long day."

"I think you had a long day as well." Tatsuya obliged and dragged his chair closer to allow his head to rest against Miyuki's knee. The angle allowed him to look up at his sister's pale face. "Did something interesting happen?"

"Well, actually, a guy from my university came to visit me earlier."

"Oh?"

"Mm." She tilted her head, and asked in a tentative tone, "Do you know a guy by the name of Ichijou Masaki?"

"…Don't tell me that's the schoolmate that visited you today." Tatsuya managed to keep his surprise out of his face and voice, so Miyuki spoke without hesitation.

"Yes. Apparently, he recognized me from my valedictory address back then."

"I see." Tatsuya could sense an inconsistency, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. "I only knew that the Ichijou family was famous in the corporate world and that Ichijou Masaki was their heir, but that's about it. I confess I've never really read that part of the paper. So you were schoolmates, huh?"

"Yes."

"Must have paid a lot of attention to recognize you again after over half a year." Tatsuya's teasing smile and tone was making Miyuki flustered. "Well, Miyuki is a girl that one cannot forget so easily after all…"

"Onii-sama…!"

"So... that's that."

With the feeling of Miyuki's fingers lazily combing his hair, Tatsuya couldn't help but yawn lightly, making Miyuki laugh softly.

"Shizuku is wrong… Onii-sama is still undeniably human, after all."

"Onii-sama is offended that you should even consider that as a possibility, Miyuki," Tatsuya said with a straight face, but then he returned Miyuki's laugh, and closed his eyes.

"Please sleep well, Onii-sama."

* * *

Next time:

**[Crimson Prince Chapter** (I)**]**  
_Rupture_


	3. Crimson Prince Chapter (I)

**The Falling Powdered Snow**

* * *

_I extend my hand, reaching out for you;  
merely acting tough won't protect anyone,  
but this feeling is ultramarine.  
Take aim and pull the trigger;  
my true love, which knows no imitation,  
will pierce right through you. _

—**grilletto**, GARNiDELiA

* * *

**[Crimson Prince Chapter** (I)**]**  
_Rupture_

* * *

When Ichijou Masaki first heard the news, he was struck speechless, to say the least.

"Is… Is that true?" he said slowly, his green eyes staring blankly at the wall, his hand tightening on the phone. "George is…?"

"Well, Juumonji-kun had sorted things out for a while, even calling the police immediately, but I'm afraid that Kichijouji-san _has_ been injured. However, his wounds are not really that severe, so rest assured." An unmistakably elegant female voice filtered from the speaker. "I myself will be going over there now to supervise matters. The severity of the situation has to be kept under wraps for a while so as to prevent widespread panic."

Masaki chuckled humorlessly, still trying to shake off his shock over his friend's condition. "I can't see how even being the third daughter of a powerful family can help hush this matter. People _talk_. That's what people do."

"Well," the voice replied lightly, "we should just make them stop talking, right? And I'm with Father. I'm sure there's something that can be done."

Masaki swallowed, and felt how dry his throat was. "I hope everyone can see things as simply as you do, Saegusa-san."

A girlish laugh. "Anyway, Kichijouji-san was brought to the nearest hospital in the area. You know what that is, right? Juumonji-kun told me that he was placed in room 302."

"302, got it. I'm on my way then. Thanks."

"Godspeed, Ichijou-kun."

A click signified that the call was ended. Masaki slipped his phone in his pocket and set off, dropping a hurried "I'm leaving for a bit, will explain later" at his mother and sisters' curious inquiries.

The train station was quite a walk from the Ichijou residence, but Masaki, full of his worries about his best friend, absently undertook the journey by foot, his eyes flicking up from the ground every so often to check if he was going the right way.

And then, a solid _thump_ against his shoulder and—"Hey!"

Masaki went staggering sideways as he stared, startled, at the woman he had just bumped into, finding himself staring into an irritated face framed with wild red hair.

"Sorry!" Masaki rubbed his shoulder and bowed apologetically, the polite gesture deeply ingrained after years of attending social events that required this minimum of civility. However, this woman just scowled at him.

"Watch it, boy."

Disregarding her reaction in his hurry, Masaki apologized again and hurriedly went straight into the station to buy a ticket, noting how crowded the platform was getting. Give it a few more minutes and the rush of people would surely double in size, he thought, with a sudden jolt of panic.

_Wait for me, George. _

His ears temporarily lost their hearing as the shrill whining of the approaching train filled the platform.

* * *

The hospital was slowly starting to fill with movement as nurses stirred into action and doctors rushed to and fro between wards, patients and families alike weaving into corridors as a normal day in the hospital started. Masaki, however, went straight to the elevator and punched the button, his breaths still quick even though the caller earlier in the morning had already assured him that Shinkurou's injuries were only superficial.

_Please, let George be safe… _

When the elevator finally let him out, he couldn't help but break into a steady jog, not caring about the disapproving stares of the nurses in the station. Wrenching at the first door on the first turn of the hall, he bent down and wheezed at the rush that he had made before gasping:

"George—!"

A heartbeat.

"Excuse me?"

—_Nope, that's definitely not George speaking. _

Masaki looked up upon hearing the undoubtedly feminine voice that came from the bed, and gaped like an idiot at the breathtaking view that greeted his eyes.

Upon the sunlight-striped white bed, a frail-looking young woman with the most astonishing blue eyes stared back at him, her lips parted halfway in surprise. Her face was framed by her straight dark hair, which was in stark contrast to her skin that was almost as white as the hospital gown that she wore.

_Is this what they call a snow maiden…? _

Swallowing, he opened his mouth. "I—wrong room?" He took a double take at the hall behind him uncertainly, hating the way his voice cracked. "302?"

"This is room 300, actually," A beautiful smile graced her thin lips, and he felt his face slowly warm up. "You'll want next door."

"Sorry!" He hurriedly closed the door behind him, cringing as a sound as loud as a gunshot echoed all throughout the corridor.

_What… did I just…? _

_Idiotidiotidiot!_

_You're Ichijou Masaki,_ he told himself off severely, shaking his head and making his wavy hair fly all over his forehead. _Every girl since childhood has practically thrown herself at you, you should've been better at situations like this! _

_But that girl… She seems familiar._ Masaki glanced at the name plate beside the door, emblazoned with the words "Shiba Miyuki" in ink.

_Shiba… Miyuki. _

_Not _that_ same Shiba Miyuki-san…? _

From his memories of his college graduation, Masaki recalled the straight, girlish figure in her black graduation gown, the tassel on her cap fluttering at every stride she took toward the center of the stage to deliver her valedictory. He then remembered the name that the master of ceremonies had given.

"_And next to take the stage is Shiba Miyuki-san, valedictorian…" _

Shiba Miyuki. Not the rarest of names, but… those doll-like features cannot be mistaken for somebody else's. Masaki stared at the name plate for a few more seconds, his green eyes conflicted, before remembering what he had originally come here for.

* * *

302 was the door beside Shiba Miyuki's room, as she had suggested. Masaki, still blushing at his embarrassing mistake, pulled this door open, half-hoping that Shinkurou was sleeping after the ruckus that he had made in the hall.

"George?" he said in a low voice, remedying his earlier mistake of shouting into a hospital room.

"Oh, Masaki." His prayers completely disregarded by the higher powers above, Kichijouji Shinkurou sat up on the bed, looking as healthy as ever, but Masaki espied how the arm that he was trying to tuck out of sight was bound in white bandages. "I heard someone shouting 'George—!' earlier in the corridor. That's not you, by any chance, is it?"

"Shut up and stop rubbing it in." Masaki coughed awkwardly and averted his eyes from his best friend's knowing smirk. "I just made a mistake."

Masaki could almost see the cogs working in Shinkurou's head as he weighed this statement.

"That's quite unusual, even for a foolhardy person like you, Masaki." Finally, Shinkurou yawned lightly and rested back on his pillows. "You did apologize?"

"Of course, dummy." Masaki sat on the chair by the bedside with a little annoyed huff. "She seemed quite nice about it, and directed me here."

"_She?_" Shinkurou's eyes held quite a bit of suspicion as he stared at Masaki's painfully honest face. "Hmm… That's quite new to me, Masaki falling for someone instead of the other way around. So… what does she look like to make you blush so? Unless she's Shiba Miyuki, you wouldn't look like that… Or is she prettier…?"

_He knows what to hit to make it hurt, huh?_ Masaki could feel how dangerous Shinkurou's instincts are when used against him, as his best friend continued to ramble.

"I—drop it already!" Masaki protested, suddenly flustered, and Shinkurou laughed, which he so rarely ever did in front of anybody else than Masaki, given his usual straight-faced reactions to things compared next to his best friend's famous impetuosity. "It's not that important!"

"Alright, alright." Still sniggering lightly, Shinkurou looked his friend up and down. "So, who told you to come? Juumonji?"

"No." Masaki crossed his arms, a slight frown crossing his face. "Actually, it was Saegusa Mayumi."

"Saegusa Mayumi?"

Shinkurou's expression was now wholly sober at the mention of the name. Masaki knew that even he knew the implications that this brought.

"If the Saegusa family has gotten involved with this incident, does it mean that this situation was that grave?"

"Not necessarily." Masaki scowled thoughtfully. "It could be because Juumonji got himself involved in the first place. My father said that the Juumonjis were planning to marry their heir to one of the Saegusa daughters. More probably Mayumi, since she's the closest to Katsuto's age… so maybe Mayumi went to look after Katsuto's condition."

"…So even in this era, political marriages between powerful families are still in fashion."

"That's the way of the world. Power is dependent on how many connections you can make, and on how strong they are." Masaki sank in silence, while Shinkurou mulled about this information in his head.

"So what about you, huh? Being the heir to the Ichijou family… Is your father planning to—?"

"No, silly. Or at the very least, he's not saying anything about marrying me off to someone." Masaki stretched his arms above his head, groaning. "Well, if there's any consolation, I know for sure that Mother would defend me against anything of the kind."

"Well, they might be considering the fact that we're still young. 'Falling in love' is still a reality for guys our age."

Masaki cracked a wicked grin. "What's the scientific prodigy 'Cardinal George' doing, talking about love in such a way?"

Shinkurou returned the smile, albeit in a bit more restrained fashion. "Cannot scientific prodigies like 'Cardinal George' dream about the springtime of youth as well?"

* * *

Two days later, Masaki found himself on the way to the hospital once more, with a huge boxed lunch from his mother.

Beside him, his sister Akane tagged along, her brows in a perpetual worried scowl as they went. "Why didn't you tell us sooner about Shinkurou-kun being injured in that incident?"

Masaki sighed.

"It's because I knew you'd _all_ act like this." He recalled the sight of his mother anxiously querying about Shinkurou's health, while the two younger girls were all over him, asking questions that even he had no idea how to answer. _Is Shinkurou-kun going to die, Nii-san? Why did you visit him without us? Why are you such a stingy brother? Can you please tell Akane to shut up now? Can you remind Ruri who the elder is? _

Masaki had to admit, his family, the very picture of practicality on the outside, was quite crazy sometimes.

No, scratch that—all the time, actually. Twenty-year-old Akane and seventeen-year-old Ruri were already adults in all senses of the word, but sometimes, the little girls that they had been show up in times of great agitation. This fact didn't help in convincing their mother that she should now relax her overprotection on them.

Even he who had grown up in this kind of family couldn't even fathom how the straight-laced Kichijouji Shinkurou could eat his way through dozens of dinners with the Ichijou family with the amount of idiotic conversation his two sisters and mother could cook up. He didn't know about his mother and Ruri, but sometimes he suspected that Akane was intentionally baiting him in front of his best friend with statements like—

"_Not to worry, I won't take Shinkurou-kun away from Nii-san."_

"_What about you, Nii-san, you're already a member of society and you still don't have a girlfriend…" _

"_Don't you think Shinkurou-kun should live here?"_

He felt Akane tug his sleeve, and was immediately transported back to the present.

"Nii-san."

"What is it?"

Akane narrowed her eyes.

"You're spacing out again. It's been happening more often, recently." She paused, suspiciously. "Don't tell me the reason is a girl."

_In a way, it is. _

…_Three crazy women in a crazy household. _

As a reply, Masaki just chuckled, prompting Akane to hurry in front of him and mutter something about useless lovestruck brothers.

* * *

Masaki took a deep breath and pulled the door open. Beyond the doorway, Miyuki lay on her bed, her ice-blue eyes rounding at the sight of her unexpected visitor.

"…You again?" Miyuki seemed nonplussed about his reappearance before her. "Did… did you mistake the room number again, or…?"

"I… no," Masaki said, trying to sound as though this visit was just a normal thing on his part. "Actually…"

Miyuki stared at him for a while, and then said, "Well… do come in." Her lips were curved in an accommodating smile.

"Thank you—what?" Masaki looked up at her words, surprised, and Miyuki laughed.

"Please." She seemed to have contained herself, at the very least. Murmuring a small thank-you, Masaki entered the room, again marveling at how the sunlight streamed through the windows and on her raven hair, giving her an angelic effect.

"Well, how may I help you this time?"

"No, I just… I'm visiting _you_ today." Masaki again found himself stammering. _Real smooth, Ichijou._ "Actually, I… I noticed your name yesterday beside the door after I went away, and I then realized that I have known you from somewhere. You're… Shiba Miyuki-san, right? The valedictorian for our batch from university?"

"Do I know you?"

A small frown had entered Miyuki's gentle features, and Masaki immediately launched on an explanation.

"Perhaps not, since we haven't really met in person, but I also saw you in one of the tennis matches during the intercollegiate sports festival the year before our graduation, and then the next time I saw you was already at your valedictory at the ceremony." He smiled a bit. "You were amazing. I just remembered your name when I saw the plate, but I didn't want to disturb you further, so…"

"So you were in my batch then?"

"Yeah, same college but different program. I was taking up International Studies then."

"I see… For you to remember me after such a long time, I'm rather flattered."

Masaki smiled awkwardly. "It's rather hard to not remember you, really. Professor Miyabi always speaks of you in high regard. —I took his Japanese Literature classes, see."

"Oh, Professor Miyabi?" She seemed to enjoy hearing the name he had brought up. "So you were a student of his as well, I see…"

"He said you were the first student he ever taught who could defend a thesis about the _Genji Monogatari_'s elaborate language structure in a very eloquent manner." Personally, Masaki has never been strong in Miyabi's class, as he tended to favor physical exercises over mental ones, but Shinkurou, who enjoyed reading, excelled in it tremendously.

"He likes to blow things up out of proportion…" A faint blush. "Er, what's your name, um…?"

"Oh, sorry!" _I'm being too self-conscious again._ "Ichijou. Ichijou Masaki."

"Ichijou…?" At the very least, his name rang a bell. "Not the same Ichijou Masaki who led the IS program during graduation? Now that I think about it…"

He shrugged, trying not to make himself a bigger deal than necessary. "Well, yeah…"

"Now that I think about it, what were you doing here yesterday?"

"Visiting a friend." _At least, I am supposed to, but Akane is enough to amuse him for a while._ There was a shooting incident yesterday in the shopping district. He got involved, a bit…"

"Oh. I've heard of that. My friends were there when it happened as well, although thankfully they didn't get involved directly."

Silently, Miyuki and Masaki both mulled over the frightening possibilities of coincidences.

"If you wouldn't mind, Shiba-san," Masaki said tentatively, "What about you?"

"Oh… um…"

Seeing the hesitation in Miyuki's eyes, Masaki held up his hands.

"No, I shouldn't have asked so insensitively… Sorry."

"It's fine." Miyuki shook her head. "I just have no idea how best to answer your question… The name of my condition is insubstantial, but… well…"

"Please don't force yourself. But is there no one looking after you aside from the nurses…? It must be a bit lonesome…"

"Oh, there is my Onii-sama." Masaki saw how her face brightened upon mentioning her brother. "He usually keeps me company and takes care of me."

_They must be really close. If only Akane or Ruri could be this affectionate instead of always bullying me…_

However, Ichijou Masaki knew not to ask for such an impossible thing, so he just looked around and asked, "So where…?"

"At work."—her sigh was heavy. "However, he's usually back here before sundown."

"Sundown, huh…"

_I… now get it. _

Masaki stared at the beautiful picture she made, looking wistfully out of the window.

_She's… lonely. Of course she is. _

_That's why she wanted me to come in, a new acquaintance, to amuse her. _

_I… don't really mind now, do I? _

Masaki scratched his chin with a thoughtful face.

"Would you mind if I stay here for a while?"

Miyuki seemed startled at the sudden suggestion, but Masaki could see the smile threatening to tug at the corners of her lips. "I wouldn't, but… what about your friend?"

Masaki smiled, hoping that his uneasiness wasn't showing on his face. "He'll be fine, George… My sister Akane is with him."

In his head, he uttered a silent prayer. _Sorry, George. Please bear with her clinginess for a while. _

_And don't let her catch you unawares, at any cost. _

"I see." Miyuki seemed to buy his reason, much to his relief. "So Ichijou-san has a sibling as well…?"

"I have two sisters, actually, both younger than me. Akane and Ruri." Masaki's expression softened a bit. "Akane is rather straightforward, while Ruri…"

* * *

"Oh, look at the time. I must go." Rising regretfully, Masaki said thus, and saw Miyuki look up with a surprised expression. "I promised Mother that I'd take Akane home before three."

"I understand." Miyuki beamed angelically, suddenly making Masaki forget how to breathe.

"So, nice meeting you again, Shiba-san."

"Call me Miyuki, please." Miyuki bowed. "It might be a bit confusing if my brother was here and you started calling me by my surname."

"Oh. Right." Masaki smiled sheepishly, hardly believing his luck. _I'm now on first-name terms with her._ "Miyuki-san then. In return, please call me Masaki. I also have siblings as well, after all."

"Goodbye, Masaki-san." Miyuki's smile seemed sweeter, if at all possible.

Masaki bowed himself out the door, breathing deeply as he considered how well his conversation with Miyuki progressed. They seem to be interested in the same things, and Miyuki was curious about what it was like to have a little sibling, having been the second child all her life.

"So? Done visiting your girlfriend?" Akane asked him a bit too brightly as he came back into Shinkurou's room. "I was a bit surprised when you suddenly stood and said that you'd visit the room next door…"

Shinkurou just watched Masaki sigh and rumple his hair. "So, I was right. That was Shiba Miyuki next door, right? I asked the nurse."

"Yeah. I didn't know she became hospitalized immediately after graduation." Masaki frowned. "She recognized me from the IS class."

Akane smirked. "My Nii-san is such a hopeless romantic."

"Akane, frankly, I don't want to hear that from _you_." Masaki checked his watch. "We have to go, okay? George, you'll be fine?"

"Yeah." Shinkurou smiled. "Take care, Masaki."

Akane pouted. "Nii-san, I'm too old to be mollycoddled by you."

"Too right. If only Mother feels the same as well." Masaki patted her shoulder. "Let's go."

Akane rolled her eyes and stood up, but not before giving Shinkurou a hug and a lively, "See you, Shinkurou-kun!"

"Take care, Akane-chan." Shinkurou just seemed slightly amused as Masaki glowered at them both.

_This person still doesn't want to give away his sister, even to his best friend. _

…_So, even a person like Ichijou Masaki can betray his petty, brotherly side at times._

* * *

"The roads seem more crowded than ever," Akane noted as they passed the shopping district on the way to the station.

Masaki looked around, his verdant eyes narrowing suspiciously as he began to notice the concentrated, tense air around the place.

A gunshot suddenly rang across the plaza.

There were a few scattered screams and shouts, and some people were beginning to run. Masaki, his breaths catching as he realized that this was a repeat of the incident that landed Shinkurou in the hospital, turned to his sister.

"Akane, go on home."

"Nii-san?" Akane stared at where Masaki was fixing his gaze, curious. "What's happening? A gunshot…"

Masaki was a brother who suffered through his sisters' whims most of the time, but right now wasn't the time to sweet-talk Akane into doing what he wanted. "Just go home, Akane."

"But—"

"Akane!" Masaki's green eyes flashed, and Akane, suddenly realizing that her brother felt strongly about this, didn't answer back for once.

"Alright." Akane nodded, and smiled nervously. "Just… just be back before dinner, or something… okay?"

"I will." Masaki tried to smile back, but his face felt as stiff as a board.

Akane stared at him for a few more seconds before turning tail and quickly jogging to the direction of the station, following the flow of people.

Another gunshot pierced the afternoon air. Finally pinpointing the middle of the street as the source, Masaki quickly ducked behind a nearby car parked on the roadside and breathed hard, wondering about what he was thinking.

_What the hell am I even trying to do? _

_Arrest this terrorist myself? Kill him? What? _

He stared at his hands, which were surprisingly steady.

_No, this isn't like me. Isn't George supposed to be the rational one, not me? I usually never think these things through…_

_Why start now?_

Masaki's hand inched toward the gun hidden in his jacket—

"Wait."

"Eh?"

Feeling someone suddenly grab his shoulder, he looked at where a young, dark-haired police officer was suddenly crouched beside him, a gun readied in his hand as he sat back against the car. He did not look older than Masaki's twenty-four, yet there was a hard look in his blue eyes that insisted of a maturity and wisdom well beyond his years.

"I'm not going to ask why a young civilian like you is carrying a weapon so casually," the officer said, with a glance at Masaki's hand, which was still in his jacket. "However, the instigator has a hostage, and we intend to take it up from here."

"We?"

"With the help of my partner, we will be able to corner him in no time." There was neither overconfidence in his tone nor uncertainty—it was just as if he was stating a fact that everyone was expected to know.

Masaki scowled, and remembered Shinkurou, resting back in the hospital. "What is he thinking, waving a gun in the shopping district like that?"

"I know." A cold, clear icy blue gaze. Masaki, unable to keep from staring back into their depths, wondered where he might have seen those eyes before. "And concerning that fact… may I ask why the Crimson Prince, the heir of the Ichijou family, is staying here risking his life?"

At the mention of the moniker, Masaki struggled to contain his surprise.

_This guy… _

"How—?"

The young officer's eyes glittered dryly.

"Ichijou-san, have you heard of the Yokohama Disturbance incident?"

* * *

Next time:

**[Crimson Prince Chapter** (II)**]**  
_Explosion_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S CORNER**

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We're entering the arc of the third POV character, Ichijou Masaki, the fire to Miyuki and Tatsuya's ice! The unintroduced characters are starting to make themselves known.

Short note on why some dialogues are repeated in different chapters (even though no one has really complained, haha): Since all of these events supposedly occur at the same time, that couldn't be avoided if two POV characters cross paths. However, I write each repeated scene differently, so as to provide insight to what each character is thinking and observing while the same event unfolds before their eyes.

* * *

A little thank you for the people who bothered to review and haven't received a personal reply from me: Vero, Lovely, Chocolat, and Guest. Cheers!


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